More Video Systems Taking To The Road

August 22, 2002|By Alan Goldstein, Dallas Morning News

The electronic baby sitter has gone mobile.

Video systems are hot sellers this year for sport utility vehicles, minivans and other kidmobiles, as parents seek to keep children happy on road trips long after they would have gotten bored counting license plates.

"Someday, it'll be on virtually every vehicle," says Rick A. Mathies, executive director of the Mobile Electronics Retailers Association in Indianapolis. "If you've got kids and if you do any traveling, it makes so much sense."

Video has been a lifesaver on long road trips to Florida and Colorado, says Mary Barnes, who lives in Dallas and has a 14-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son.

"We've done all those road-trip games, spotting Volkswagens or whatever," she says. "My husband and I will take turns driving, and one of us gets to go in the back and watch the movie. I don't think we could take a trip without it now."

Mobile video isn't new. Traditional 9- and 13-inch televisions have been available in buses, recreational vehicles and converted vans for some time, often connected to VCRs.

But more compact, higher-quality systems are helping the technology become far more popular. In 2000, sales of mobile video and navigation systems reached $500 million, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. By last year, the figure reached $690 million, and the trade group expects sales this year of $930 million.

Portable units that can be switched between vehicles are relatively inexpensive. Video-in-a-bag systems are widely available for under $300. They play videocassettes, plug into the cigarette lighter and face rear passengers from a sling strapped between the front seats.

The higher-end systems, which are permanently installed in vehicles, can cost a few thousand dollars. Most come with flat-panel screens for rear-seat passengers that can be flipped down from the ceiling, allowing rear-seat passengers to view them when they want. The better units play DVDs, which are smaller and more durable than tapes and deliver higher-quality video and sound.